New Years Travels in Siem Reap
The day after Christmas, my parents and I traveled to Siem Reap to sightsee and celebrate New Years Eve.
We spent three days exploring the amazing temples at Angkor Wat. Their majesty juxtaposed with the stunning nature that surrounds them never fails to move me. My friend Alma came along for our first day at Angkor Wat, and it was truly magical to explore Angkor and Ta Pram together. Our kind and helpful tuk tuk driver, Mr. Small, made the entire process easy and seamless, helping us plan our itinerary to maximise our experiences.
One day, my parents and I decided to take a trip to a fishing village. There, you can purchase a tour on a private boat that takes you through a town along the river. The houses are all built on massive stilts, towering around 20 feet above the water in dry season. We traveled downstream to the Tonle Sap Lake, the biggest lake in Southeast Asia, just in time to have a couple beers as we watched the sun set.
For New Years Eve, my parents and friends all got together for dinner and a night on Pub Street. We got some drinks at Old Wooden House, my favorite cocktail bar in Cambodia. Their herbal Khmer cocktails are innovative and delicious. Then, we went to Golden Pumpkin, an ideal barang (foreigner-appealing) restaurant, for a group dinner. Finally, we went to X-Bar, my favorite club on Pub Street. We squished through crowds of people to get to the rooftop level of the bar. From there, we had a perfect view of the midnight firework show. It was so special to spend this moment together with my parents and my best friends.
New Year English
The new calendar year also brought about many changes for the English language program. We hired another teacher, Malay, who is a recent graduate from the scholarship program. She is interested in singing and music-integration, like I am, so she’s been a wonderful asset to the team.
Before the start of the new year, my colleagues and I developed new rules and expectations for students in the program. In early January, we held a town hall with parents to share the information and elicit responses. Parents were happy to be included in this process, and the new rules were well received. Rules include a stricter attendance policy, a policy for lost books, and a policy to increase English speaking in class.
We also created and administered placement tests to minimize achievement gaps in each class. The process of administering and grading these exams was challenging for students and teachers, but it appears to have created more balanced classes. I look forward to improving this process further by considering ways to make students more comfortable with the testing process and the level they’re placed in.
Here is a story about a student experience with the placement exam:
There was a girl who got a 97% on the lower level placement exam (we created two placement exams, lower and higher level). Disappointed about being placed into level 1, the highest level possible for that exam, she came to tell us she wanted to be placed into level 4, the highest level we had. I told her she could take the higher level placement test the next day to see if she could be put in that level.
The next day, I gave her the test, which she finished in just over an hour, far under the 2-hour allotted time frame. I told her we’d grade the test and place her, so she should come back the next day.
After a couple hours, she came back to the window. It took all of us a second to recognize her.
“You just took the test, right?” I asked. She nodded yes. Luckily, I had graded the test already.
“So you want to know what level you were placed in?” I smiled slyly. “You’ve been placed in level…” I paused for dramatic effect, “four!”
Her suspenseful expression immediately shifted to a look of pure joy. She ran back to her friends shouting in Khmer, and they hugged and congratulated her.
Seeing this girl become so excited about her academic achievement, my eyes welled with tears. It’s the kind of moment that reminds me why I do this work, the joy of education.
February Travel
In February, Ben came to visit me in Cambodia. It was wonderful to show him this place I now call home. I have since decided to stay in Cambodia, so I can continue my meaningful work and pursue new opportunities. Unfortunately, Ben and I have decided to end things, rather than continue our long-distance relationship. That said, it was amazing to have him here, and I am excited to tell you about our journey together.
I met him in Phnom Penh, and we spent a few days there. We learned about Khmer culture and history at Wat Phnom, the Royal Palace, and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. On Valentine’s Day, we went to the tallest sky bar in Phnom Penh, on the 50th floor. The views were stunning.
We traveled to Battambang, so Ben could meet my friends and see what a day in my life is like. We also did some tourist activities, such as Banan Temple and the Bat Cave. We also went to a Khmer wedding in Kaun Khlong.
For our last week, we traveled to Siem Reap. We spent 3 days at the Angkor Complex, exploring all my favorite temples.
At Bayon temple, the monkeys tried to steal my yogurt drink and my water bottle. They were successful. It was a bit scary, but fun too.
Khmer New Year English Language Program Celebration
To celebrate Khmer New Year, the English Language Program decided to put on a multidisciplinary performance. We worked with students in the highest English level to plan and orchestrate the performance. I got together with a large group of student volunteers to learn about the themes, games, and other customs of Khmer New Year. Four of these students volunteered to become the MC’s of the event. Then, the teachers and I planned dances, songs, games, and speeches for students in each class. I planned the event order and wrote a script for the MC’s. The MC’s translated the script into Khmer, an applied practice of their English Language skills.
On the day of the event, we all came early to practice our dances and get ready. Sreynoch gave me a stunning traditional Khmer skirt called a sarong to wear, and Malay gave me a flower to put in my hair.
I hung up art pieces the students had made in our art-integrated lessons as decorations around the stage. When everything was prepared, we began the performance. Students danced, sang songs, played games, and talked about their art pieces in English. I helped to lead the performance and danced twice with my students: The Hokey Pokey and Srolanh awei del Khmer mean (Love What Khmer People Have). After the performance, we all formed a circle and danced traditional Khmer dances as a group. The event was an excellent cultural and linguistic exchange, and I’m so grateful to have been a part of it.
Khmer New Year on Koh Rong
Since the calendar new year was such a large celebration in Siem Reap, I decided to have a more restful Khmer new year celebration. My friend, Espen, and I traveled to Koh Rong, one of Cambodia’s islands off the coast of Sihanoukville. It was an incredibly relaxing and joyful trip, filled with laughter, music, swimming, and celebration. The island is picturesque, a paradise away from the hustle and bustle of the city – certainly one of Cambodia’s hidden gems!
To celebrate Khmer New Year, we found a Khmer party on the beach with people ruam-leng (dancing). Since the island is a bit touristy, everyone was surprised when Espen and I spoke a few words of Khmer and started ruam-leng with them. They quickly brought us to the dance floor and handed us some beers. We continued cheers-ing and dancing into the night. It was a perfectly small celebration, and so much fun to ruam in the sand.